You and your bike

Helmets

By law, you must wear a helmet when riding your bicycle.¹

When riding your bike, you must wear an approved bicycle helmet which meets the Australian and New Zealand safety standards. To make sure your helmet has met these strict safety standards, look for a sticker or label on the helmet with the following code: AS/NZS 2063.

You can check whether your helmet meets this standard by checking the stickers contained on the Transport for NSW Centre for Road Safety website.

If you are caught riding without a helmet (or are using an unapproved helmet which does not meet these safety standards), you can face on-the-spot fines of $344.

Helmet rules also apply to a passenger on a bicycle.² On-the-spot fines of $344 apply. A passenger must wear an approved bicycle helmet unless they are a paying passenger on a three- or four-wheeled bike.

By law, helmets of both riders and their passengers must be securely fitted to their heads, and fastened.

Identification

It is advised, but not mandatory, to carry some form of identification when riding your bicycle, such as a driver’s license or a NSW Photo ID card. This is so you can be identified in an emergency.

The NSW Police also have the power to ask you for your licence or ID card if they believe you have broken the road rules.

However, note that is not an offence under the Road Rules to not be carrying some form of identification with you when riding a bike.

Bike set up

By law, your bicycle must have certain equipment that is in working order. If your bike is lacking this mandatory equipment, or that equipment is faulty, you can face on-the-spot fines of $114 for each piece of missing or faulty equipment.

Your bicycle must have one functioning brake and must also have a bell or other type of warning device. This equipment is compulsory by law.³

Riding at night and in bad weather

If you’re riding your bicycle at night (or in hazardous weather which results in reduced visibility), you must be visible to other drivers.

By law, you cannot ride your bike at night or in hazardous weather unless you, or your bike, have all of the following equipment displayed:⁴

A steady or flashing white light on the front of the bicycle, visible 200m from the front of the bicycle; and
A steady or flashing red light on the back of the bicycle, visible 200m from behind the bicycle; and
A red reflector on the rear of the bicycle, which is visible from 50m of the rear of the bicycle when a light is projected onto it by a vehicle’s headlight on low-beam.

For each piece of the above equipment which is either missing or faulty, on-the-spot fines of $114 apply.

Control of your bicycle

In NSW you face fines if you are caught riding negligently, furiously or recklessly.⁵ To ride a bike negligently means riding in a way which endangers your life or the lives of others.⁶ Those caught behaving in this way face on-the-spot fines of $457 for each behaviour.⁷

You must ride with at least one hand on the handlebars at all times, and - if your bike is fitted with a seat – you cannot ride your bike seated in any other position on the bike (for example, across the handlebars).⁸

Carrying people on your bicycle

When riding your bike, you can only carry as many people as the bicycle is designed to carry.⁹

If you have a passenger on your bike, they must sit in the seat designed for a passenger.

This means that if you have a single seater bicycle, only one person is allowed to ride that bicycle at a time. If you have a single seater bicycle with a child’s seat attached, then two people can ride the bicycle - one person sitting in the bicycle seat and the other sitting in the child’s seat.

Any passengers on your bicycle must also wear an approved helmet.¹⁰

Can I use my mobile phone while riding my bicycle?

You can use your mobile phone under certain, strict conditions while you are riding your bicycle. These are:¹¹

To make or answer a phone call or to use the audio playing function (such as playing music) if:
- the phone can be operated without touching it (such as via Bluetooth or voice command); and
- the phone is in a cradle fixed to part of your bike which doesn’t block your view of the road.
As an aid (such as a navigation tool) only if the phone is in a cradle fixed to part of your bike which doesn’t block your view of the road.

If you want to use your phone in any other way while riding your bike, you must be parked and out of the line of traffic.

Fines may apply if you break these laws.

Can I tie my dog to my bicycle?

It is illegal to lead an animal (such as a dog) to a bicycle which you are riding.¹² Fines of $76 apply.

Pedal Power: Cycling and the law in NSW